3. Julieta Venegas, 'Bueninvento' (2000)

Before she was hailed as a Pan-Latino pop star, the Tijuana-born Venegas was a shy alt-rocker. Her second LP is the blossoming of an idiosyncratic genius. A voracious reader, Venegas adds brain power to the poppiest hooks, and her delivery – all broken syllables and stretched-out vowels – has a haunting quality.